POWER & PASSION

Racing and Building

Akio Toyoda not only runs Toyota Motor Corp. but is its master driver, the final arbiter of what makes a Lexus a Lexus and a Toyota a Toyota. Knowing how to drive - no, race - a car makes him like no other CEO in the 79 years since his grandfather founded the company.

'The most death-defying experience' of Tim Kuniskis' life

In 2014, Tim Kuniskis, the head of the Dodge brand, described a 12-lap training run in a NASCAR racer. Some stories are best told by those who lived them.

Honda die mold specialist moonlights in the pits

Anyone watching the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sparks Energy 300 race at Talladega this month might have noticed the big guy in the pit tending to the fuel of Jimmy Means Racing's car 52. That was Mark Sanders.

JLR's Kim McCullough fulfills a dream

A not-so-great driving performance at the Bob Bondurant Racing School in Arizona in 1992 prompted Kim McCullough, then Mazda's national advertising manager, to get serious about racing and to eventually compete in amateur race events..

Toyota’s driving chief learns the secret sauce

In an interview with Asia Editor Hans Greimel, Akio Toyoda, 61, talked about his interest in racing and how it now influences the flavor of Lexus and Toyota vehicles..

Akio Toyoda

As Akio Toyoda climbed the ranks at the automaker his grandfather had founded, he also embarked on a quest to become one of the Toyota Motor Corp.'s top certified test drivers and its top car critic. All the while, Toyoda pursued his life-long passion for racing. He continues that pursuit today. Photos by Hans Greimel

Up close with racing legend and dealer Bobby Rahal

Bobby Rahal has won the Indianapolis 500 as a driver and a team owner. Today, Rahal, 64, runs Bobby Rahal Automotive Group in Mechanicsburg, Pa., with 10 dealerships selling 10 brands..

Hendrick credits racing for his Hollywood connections

In the 1990 movie Days of Thunder, a car salesman convinces a retired crew chief to work with a cocky young driver. It's based on real-life NASCAR champion team owner and dealer Rick Hendrick, his late driver Tim Richmond and crew chief Harry Hyde..

In the pits with Hendrick Motorsports

Athleticism, strength, an ability to work as a synchronized team and competitive drive are required to make the pit crew for Hendrick Motorsports. Here's a look inside the training regimen..

Rick Hendrick

Rick Hendrick's racing and retailing empires overlap, but are run separately.

Best Practices

California dealer Mike Sullivan, the self-branded LAcarGuy, has headed to the track to promote his Porsche of South Bay store. He's racing in a Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport series and taking his customers along for the ride in his Weekend Warriors web video series.

As exterior design manager for the Corvette Stingray and the sixth-generation Camaro, Kirk Bennion has styled some of General Motors' most iconic cars..

From Milford to Nurburgring, Ken Morris pushes cars to their limits

Since 1998, Ken Morris has circled the famed Nordschleife course more than 1,800 times..

Mark Reuss

Mark Reuss is a licensed road racer. It says something about what drives General Motors' head of global product development that he also created GM's Performance Division. We joined him on a recent trip to the automaker's test track in Milford, Mich. Photos by Photos by Greg Gorvath

Various Racers

Video

Mark Reuss, General Motors' head of global product development and a licensed road racer, reflects on his days at Indy 500 races with his father, Lloyd, a 35-year gm veteran. He also talks about a Friday ritual where he puts the company's upcoming vehicles through their paces. Automotive News reporter Nick Bunkley spoke with Reuss at GM's proving grounds in Milford, Mich., on May 5.

Ikuo Maeda, the executive officer of Mazda’s design division and an amateur racer, encourages his colleagues to race competitively so they can learn the “joy of driving.” He also talks about how his father, Mazda designer Matasaburo Maeda, and actor Steve McQueen in the 1971 movie “Le Mans,” inspired his career. Automotive News Asia Editor Hans Greimel spoke with Maeda at the Okayama International Circuit in Mimasaka, Japan, on April 2.

PSA Group CEO Carlos Tavares has more than 500 races under his belt over the last 37 years. He talks about how he caught the racing bug as a teen and how the sport intertwines with his role as a boss. Automotive News Europe correspondent Peter Sigal spoke with Tavares after the race at Dijon-Prenois motor racing circuit near Dijon, France, on May 6.